Under policies instituted by the Confederacy; white Virginians and North Carolinians surrendered control over portions of their slave populations to state authorities; military officials; and the national government to defend their new nation. State and local officials cooperated with the Confederate War Department and Engineer Bureau; as well as individual generals; to ensure a supply of slave labor on fortifications. Using the implementation of this policy in the Upper South as a window into the workings of the Confederacy; Jaime Amanda Martinez provides a social and political history of slave impressment. She challenges the assumption that the conduct of the program; and the resistance it engendered; was an indication of weakness and highlights instead how the strong governments of the states contributed to the war effort.According to Martinez; slave impressment; which mirrored Confederate governance as a whole; became increasingly centralized; demonstrating the efficacy of federalism within the CSA. She argues that the ability of local; state; and national governments to cooperate and enforce unpopular impressment laws indicates the overall strength of the Confederate government as it struggled to enforce its independence.
#18208 in Books Dorling Kindersley Publishing Staff 2016-07-05 2016-07-05Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.37 x 1.06 x 8.00l; .0 #File Name: 1465445102352 pagesThe History Book Big Ideas Simply Explained
Review
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful. Excellent Layout Makes this a Great Book!By A. ReaderWhen you are ambitious enough to write a history book encompassing everything from 200;000 years ago until the present day; you must determine what to include and what to leave out. The author of "The History Book" concentrated on events that had the most impact on the development (or demise) of different civilizations throughout the world.I can't say enough about how the book was composed. Each section of the book lays out a timeline of dates and events covered during that period. Each event is then covered in a sub-section; which bullet points things that happened in history before and after the event being discussed. To achieve greater understanding with a minimum of words; diagrams are provided which detail how the event came to pass (using early humans as an example: "Foraging lifestyles rely on hunting/gathering" led to "Humans develop an intimate knowledge of animal and plant species" led to "Beliefs and practices emphasizing connectedness and communication start to develop" resulting in "The first examples of art; such as the cave paintings of Altamira; appear").The book is an easy read; giving just enough information to understand without overloading you with every little fact. Sub-sections are usually no more than a few pages; enabling the reader to be able to set the book down and easily pick it back up at a later time. The author also does a good job staying in the middle and not choosing sides during discussions on religion and political systems.I alternate between my Kindle Fire and Paperwhite. It was impossible to read the timelines on the Paperwhite; even though the Fire is only slightly bigger; it was enough to overcome the fine print; and I found I enjoyed the colored pictures and diagrams on the Fire as opposed to the black-and-white displays on the Paperwhite.Basically; this is a good reference book that will give you an interesting overview on major events in history.6 of 6 people found the following review helpful. Non-fiction at its finest!By Mickey ParkerI was a poor student in school; and history was my worst subject. This book as me lapping up what you couldn't have shoved down my throat as a youngster. Sure; I've matured some toward learning (now in my 60s); and the Kindle is way more comfotable and convenient than the heavy; awkward textbooks we had then; but these authors and organizers deserve some big-time credit for this work way beyond that. This is writing that doesn't just impart information; it gives you the sense of almost being there. Five stars allthe way!25 of 25 people found the following review helpful. "The History Book" Easy-to-Read Overview of Many Foundations to Modern Society Presented in an Aesthetically Pleasing FormatBy Andy Anderson aka Travis C.It would be misleading to state that this book is anything more than an abbreviated over view of history; so I will refrain from hyberbole.DK specializes in beautiful; eye-catching illustrations and publication layout design that is visually stunning and adept at gaining reader interest - whether young or old. The History Book is a splendid visual reference that works best for readers capable of reading at; say; at least the seventh grade (middle school) level and older.Although it is shown to have 352 pages of content; the well-organized and illustrated layout results in a publication that has somewhat less content than most books of such length --- that is not a criticism; though; because the artistic layout is much appreciated by me and; I trust; by most readers. To help you come to grips with what I am trying to explain; I am attaching some screen shots I snapped.Unlike one other DK book I reviewed; this reference has a layout and presentation that works quite well when viewing from my free Kindle app on my desktop computer and on my Mini iPad.I do wish more material had been included; but the material that is provided is good reading and well-prepared.Four stars out of five.
